Travel Ball

If you have time take a few minutes and look up www.lakepointsports.com. LakePoint Sporting Community is a billion-dollar (that's right billion-dollar) construction project just north of Atlanta that is on track to be one of the world’s largest and most unique destinations for travel sports. This sports venue with more than 1,300 acres and five million square feet of amenities, including onsite hotels, restaurants, themed retail, bowling, ziplines and water parks, is one impressive facility and undertaking.

What is refreshing for me is that the facility, although impressive, is not as impressive as the men behind it. A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to sit down with two of the key leaders of this project to hear about their plans and dreams for LakePoint. What was refreshing to me was that these two guys spent a couple hours talking about the potential impact on families and young athletes while never mentioning a business plan, investors or revenue streams. One thing that wasn't surprising is their mission statement which is, “To enhance the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of our youth – our future – by participation in team sports”.

As we talked about the future of sports in this country and the values that should exist alongside, they shared with me something that made me sit up and take notice. They told me that during the planning stages of LakePoint they interviewed a lot of athletes to get their views about the pros and cons of travel ball. According to these athletes what they dreaded most about traveling in competition was “the ride home with their dads after a loss".

Wow – I cannot get my head around that!

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Gregory Stephen Smith M. DIV., LPC is the founder of Greg Smith Counseling; he is a licensed professional counselor and an ordained minister. Greg's early professional career was concentrated primarily on the practice of psychiatry. He has been a therapist, clinical director, and administrator for psychiatric programs and hospitals in Texas, Alabama, and Florida.

Prior to getting his undergraduate degree at Auburn, he served in the United States Navy where he was a member of the all-Navy softball team. Greg also holds a Masters of Divinity Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In 1993, he moved back to his hometown of Auburn, Alabama, to run the psychiatric department at East Alabama Medical Center. In 2000 Greg opened his own private practice The Pastoral Care and Counseling Center where he provides Christian-based therapy.

Recently, through the principles of his book Sports Theology, Greg has included in his practice "intensive therapy retreats" for men and women of influence specializing in helping these individual professionals and athletes find God's Winning Spirit.